The present invention relates to image display devices, more specifically, to a technology which contributes to achieving higher definition of a liquid crystal display device.
One of the liquid crystal display devices known to date is an active-matrix liquid crystal display device, which uses thin-film transistors (TFTs) as switching elements. The active-matrix liquid crystal display device effectuates display using an electro-optical effect of liquid crystal, by means of filling a liquid crystal material in a space between a TFT array substrate, which includes scan signal lines and display signal lines arranged in the form of matrix and thin-film transistors arranged at intersecting points thereof, and a color filter substrate disposed opposite to the substrate with provision of a given interval therebetween, and also by controlling voltages to be applied to the liquid crystal material by use of the thin-film transistors.
When the number of pixels are increased to achieve higher definition in an active-matrix liquid crystal display device, problems have been reported. Specifically, quantities of display signal lines and scan signal lines are considerably increased along with an increase in the number of pixels. Accordingly, the number of driver ICs also show a massive increase and a cost rise is thereby incurred. Moreover, electrode pitches for connection between the driver ICs and the TFT array substrate are narrowed, whereby connection becomes more difficult and yield in a connecting operation is degraded.
In order to solve these problems simultaneously, numerous proposals have been made to date for reducing the required number of driver ICs and for increasing the pitches of connection terminals by means of providing electric potential by time division from one display signal line to two or more pixels which are adjacent in a column direction. Those proposals include Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications No. 6(1994)-138851, No. 6(1994)-148680, No. 11(1999)-2837, No. 5(1993)-265045, No. 5(1993)-188395 and No. 5(1993)-303114.